By IANS
Guatemala City : Seven people have been gunned down by a suspected gang members in northern Guatemala city, the police have said.
According to a police spokesman, the massacre occurred Saturday night in Chinautla, a working-class neighborhood that has been plagued by gang violence, EFE news agency reported Monday.
“According to the investigation, we are dealing with ‘Mara 18’ members who used a vehicle and a motorcycle. They had automatic weapons and assault rifles,” the police spokesman said.
The gang members opened fire at close range on some young men who had gathered at a store.
Six of the victims died on spot and the seventh at a private clinic, the police said. All the victims were between 15 and 24.
The police suspect that the motive behind the killing could be revenge as some of the gang members were kicked out of a private party on New Year’s Eve.
Dozens of police officers, backed by army troops, are undertaking a manhunt in Chinautla for the suspects, the police official said.